Created by a young graduate of ENSGSI, the Green Alerion leases and sells dry toilets in Lorraine. This young innovative company relies on the practical laboratory of Promotech CIS.

If Castle Moncel in Jarny (54) is known for its park, listed "Gardens of France", it is perhaps less known for its toilets.... Operating with sawdust and wood chips, the latter nevertheless deserve a look. That in any case is the opinion of Gérard Bahloul. Last April, it created the Green Alerion of Lorraine, a company specializing in ecological lavatories. Nothing however showed that the young man was destined to go down this path. A student at the Lycée Fabert at Metz, he took the Franco-German Baccalaureate, AbiBac* at high school. The young Lorraine citizen continued with engineering studies at the ENSGSI and part of his course took him to Germany, and the University of Kaiserslautern. After graduation, he quickly landed a job at Alstom Baden in Switzerland, "mainly due to my level in German". But Gerard did not believe he had yet found his way. Sensitive to environmental problems, he realized that the concept of dry toilets, undeveloped in Lorraine, was probably a niche market. He decided to take a leap and created his company with a Young Designer Award for Enterprise (BJCE).This regional grant for 700 Euros monthly applies in the development phase of a project, in six months prior to the actual creation of the company.

"Initially I was aiming for individuals but the procedure is not yet sufficiently well-known." Gérard Bahloul decided to promote his green toilets at public events : "Users quickly understand the interest from an ecological point of view". With sawdust and wood shavings, dry toilets require no water or chemicals, unlike conventional toilet, where each flush "sends everything to the sewers with 6 to 12 litres of drinking water, at great expense. With the dry toilet, not a drop of water is wasted !" Gérard Bahloul then called on "two carpenters from Lorraine" to build mobile booths "in wood from the Vosges forests". He now has a dozen leased out during festivals, fairs, and cultural or sports events . His first big contract: the 24hours of Stan. The Alérion Green booths were used by "close to 20,000 students." Gérard Bahloul then installed them at meetings for sustainable development at Chambley Planet'Air (June 27) and the Renaissance Festival in Bar-le-Duc (1 to 4 July). And the young designer did not stop there. Green Alerion is now continuing development in the practical laboratory established by Promotech: the idea is "to engage users as quickly as possible in the design of products and services around dry toilets". Stay tuned.

Living Lab : innovation vector consumers Laboratory of practices, the Living Lab associates businesses and consumers to develop innovative projects. Details of this innovative method initiated in the Lorraine region by Promotech CEI.

• http://lalerionvert.com